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White Chicken Enchiladas are a weeknight favorite. Creamy, easy chicken enchiladas baked in a silky cream sauce made with simple ingredients. Made with corn tortillas, an topped with Monterey jack cheese.
Why You Will Love White Chicken Enchiladas
We grew up with eating white chicken enchiladas, they were a staple my mom made for us. I had to recreate my own with a little twist. I added some red tomato to give them more color for a more appetizing look and I just love them even more.
- Easy. This is a really easy recipe, especially with rotisserie chicken.
- Delicious. The flavors will really wow you! Chipotle/green chilis and more.
- Meal Prep Friendly. As usual I made sure to make this meal prep friendly and it gets better with time! Also try my Enchilada Casserole with red sauce if you want more traditional flavors.
Ingredients Needed
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
- Shredded Chicken. Use precooked chicken breast and shred it or cut down on effort and time and use Rotisserie chicken. Make my Crispy Chicken Tacos if you have lots of extra chicken (yum).
- Corn Kernels. Use fresh or frozen/thawed
- Monterey Jack Cheese. This is the meltiest, creamiest cheese for this recipe.
- Seasonings. Salt, pepper, chipotle powder, paprika
- Corn Tortillas. You can also use flour tortillas, flour will be easier to roll up without cracking but both are wonderful.
- Butter. This is to make the roux for the “white sauce”
- All Purpose Flour. This is to thicken and make the roux for the “white sauce”
- Chicken Broth. For the white sauce roux.
- Sour Cream. This makes the white sauce white!
- Rotel Tomatoes. Or roasted tomatoes with green chilies.
- Cilantro. For garnish.
Recipe Variations
- Add more veggies to this dish. Diced zucchini, black beans or bell peppers would work great in the mix.
- Cooked Rice or Quinoa would make these more filling, you can add a half cup to the chicken mix if desired.
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Make the roux and preheat the oven to 350º. This will only take a few minutes but it will thicken while it sits (photo 1-2).
- Mix the shredded chicken with the corn, seasonings and half of the shredded cheese (photo 3-4).
- Warm the corn tortillas if using corn! Fill them with the chicken mixture and gently roll, and place snuggly in a greased baking dish.
- Pour the white sauce over the stuffed enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and sauce is bubbling and browned.
Recipe Pairings
Want to make it a fiesta night? Try making my Ground Beef Crispy Tacos to pair with or Ground Beef Fajitas. This meal also pairs great with a fresh salad like my Simple Green Salad.
Recipe Tips
- To prevent the corn tortillas from cracking, warm them first. I typically wrap about 8 of them at a time in damp paper towels on a plate and microwave for 1 minute. They are more malleable. You can also use flour tortillas if preferred.
- Don’t burn the white sauce. Be sure to just melt the butter and let the flour combine.
- Use fresh grated Monterey jack for the ultimate creaminess. Pre shredded has an anti-caking agent on it preventing it from getting creamy.
- If you want more traditional white chicken enchiladas, use 1-2 4 oz cans of mild green chilis.
Recipe FAQs
Can these be made gluten free?
Yes, use all purpose gluten free flour blend and gluten free tortillas.
Whats the best way to reheat White Chicken enchiladas?
I prefer to reheat these in the microwave, covered. I add a tsp of water or milk to the top of the cheese so it doesn’t try out.
Other Mexican Inspired Meals To Try
White Chicken Enchiladas
White Chicken Enchiladas are a weeknight favorite. Creamy, easy chicken enchiladas baked in a silky cream sauce made with simple ingredients.
Servings: 6
Calories: 386kcal
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
- medium sauce pan
Ingredients
Chicken Enchiladas
- 2½ cups shredded chicken *rotisserie
- ¾ cup corn kernels thawed
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded or pepper jack cheese
- 12-15 corn tortillas or taco sized flour tortillas
- ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded for topping
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
White Enchilada Sauce
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour or all purpose gluten free flour
- 1½ cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilis, mild or 2 – 4 oz cans of green chilis
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Make the white enchilada sauce first.
- For the sauce: In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Once it's melted, sprinkle the flour in, use a whisk to mix it in and get the clumps out.
- When the butter and flour is mixed, add the chicken broth, tomatoes and chilis and the sour cream. Bring it to a low simmer. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes, whisk it well. Set it aside until the enchiladas are ready.
- Roll the enchiladas: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together shredded chicken, seasoning, corn and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Warm the corn tortillas (see notes). Working quickly, fill each tortilla with 3-5 Tbsp chicken mix and gently roll it up. Place it in a greased baking dish.
- Continue this process until all the enchiladas are rolled snuggly into the baking dish. Pour the white sauce over the enchiladas evenly. Sprinkle the second 1/2 cup of cheese over the enchiladas.
- Place in the oven, uncovered on the center rack and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling, melted and browned. Let it cool for a few minutes, garnish with cilantro and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- To prevent the corn tortillas from cracking, warm them first. I typically wrap about 8 of them at a time in damp paper towels on a plate and microwave for 1 minute. They are more malleable. You can also use flour tortillas if preferred.
- Don’t burn the white sauce. Be sure to just melt the butter and let the flour combine.
- Use fresh grated Monterey jack for the ultimate creaminess. Pre shredded has an anti-caking agent on it preventing it from getting creamy.
- If you want more traditional white chicken enchiladas, use 1-2 4 oz cans of mild green chilis.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 Enchiladas | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 2mg
We love this dish and I hope you all do too!